N-dimethylacetonitrilo-.alpha.-(substituted phenoxy) alkyl amides and their use as miticides are disclosed in the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,427, which was issued to Don R. Baker and Francis H. Walker on Jan. 4, 1977. These compounds differ substantially from the compounds of the present invention in both their utility and substitution of the phenoxy moiety. Such substitution or change in substitutions would not be expected from the disclosure of applicants' prior patent. A further disclosure of compounds similar to applicants' novel compounds is that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,209 to Sydney B. Richter et al. That disclosure again fails, as applicants' own prior disclosure fails, to disclose the novel utility of applicants' compounds or applicants' specific substituted phenoxy moiety.